Police still probing bar fight death

Published 11:45 pm Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The Bogalusa Police Department is still investigating the death of Chad Ellis, 42, who died after a fight outside L&C during the early morning hours of Dec. 28, Chief Joe Culpepper said Monday.

“We still have people coming in with information,” Culpepper said. “We’re hoping that by the end of the week we’ll have the investigation to the point where we can present it to the District Attorney’s office, and they can tell us to get a warrant or present it to the grand jury.”

Police were called to the scene about 1:30 a.m. that Saturday and found Ellis unconscious and receiving CPR. Officers were initially told the incident started when several people got into a fight outside the bar after it closed.

“It was a fistic encounter,” Culpepper said. “There were no weapons involved. There are some issues as to who started the fight.”

The coroner’s report shows that Ellis died as a result of his head hitting the ground, the chief said.

Culpepper said investigators are sifting through statements from witnesses and others, some who have presented second-hand information.

“Our detectives are being very thorough,” he said.

“There was a death involved. They’re not jumping to any conclusions. A man died. This is important.”

Culpepper urges anyone with first-hand information on the incident to call detectives at 732-6238.